International Coastal Cleanup Milestones: Celebrating 30 years of Cleaner Beaches and 10 years of MDP Involvement

For 30 years, volunteers have been leading the charge against marine debris at the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC). The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) is proud to have been involved with this important endeavor for 10 years and is looking forward to this year’s event.

Every September, thousands of volunteers participate in ICC marine debris removal efforts around the world. Last year alone, 560,000 volunteers collected more than 16 million pounds of trash! Unfortunately, there is still a lot of work to be done. Scouring their local beaches and waterways, volunteers find the same debris items again and again. Ten years ago, the top items collected were cigars/cigarettes, food wrappers, caps/lids, plastic utensils, bottles, cans, bags and straws. Last year—you guessed it—the list was the same. They’ve found some weird things too. Bowling balls, plastic toys, and even a message in a bottle have been part of the haul in past years. These finds highlight the importance of the ICC efforts, raising awareness for this continual problem as well as removing damaging debris. Join this year’s International Coastal Cleanup at a location near you tomorrow, September 19th, to be part of the fight for healthy oceans!

Take a look back at the 10 years of International Coastal Cleanup events that the NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to have been part of:

Don’t forget to tell us about your experience using the hashtag #NOAACleanOcean.

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The NOAA Marine Debris Program envisions the global ocean and its coasts, users, and inhabitants free from the impacts of marine debris. Our mission is to investigate and solve the problems that stem from marine debris, in order to protect and conserve our nation's marine environment, natural resources, industries, economy, and people.